PaulKiernan

Those charged include current and former officials of mining giants Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd. and their joint-venture Samarco Mineração SA. Among them are former Samarco Chief Executive Ricardo Vescovi, Vale's current iron-ore director Peter Poppinga, and five Vale and BHP officials who sat on Samarco's board in recent years.

The individuals were further charged with crimes of causing a flood, landslide and grave bodily harm. In addition, Vale, BHP and Samarco were charged with 12 different kinds of environmental crimes.

If convicted, the individuals could face sentences of between 12 and 30 years in prison for the crime of "qualified homicide."

The individuals couldn't immediately be reached for comment. Vale, BHP and Samarco didn't immediately comment on the charges.

The charges mark the end of a criminal investigation after Samarco's Fundão tailings dam collapsed on Nov. 5, 2015. Believed to be the biggest disaster of its kind in the world, the incident released a torrent of red sludge that washed away villages, displaced hundreds of people and traveled more than 400 miles through southeast Brazil's Rio Doce basin before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.

A judge must accept the charges for a trial, which would take place before a jury, to begin.

In addition to the criminal case, Brazilian federal prosecutors in May filed a civil lawsuit against Vale, BHP, and Samarco seeking 155 billion reais ($49 billion) in damages.

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